All prime ministers failed to realise their party manifesto; their promises or their personal aspirations for Jamaica. So now PM Holness is poised to make history — will he?

Michael Manley and Alexander Bustamante achieved the vision of their generation and affirmed prosperity as ours. Edward Seaga really tried. Bustamante, P J Patterson, Michael Manley, and Portia Simpson Miller had visions, but no great result; yet were we under British rule — to judge by Cayman and the Turks and Caicos Islands we would be wildly successful today.

We rejected Garvey yet Michael Manley sold us black consciousness —we became men. Portia arrested our debt addiction and laid a foundation for growth; others were unremarkable. Failure is ideas, execution and the penchant of leaders to “turn back” things they did not create,, and so the cult of ego works against the nation and this Luddite conduct continues. Why?

We just spent six months on tenterhooks about a voluntary payment by parents. After conflicting orders, we now know “the replacement of auxiliary fees by a parent school support contribution” is on. Three words replace two, same thing. Parents may contribute above the new Ministry of Education grant to the education of their children, just as last year, and the year before. Bah humbug!

We need big business people in politics to end this nonsense. Prime Minister Andrew Holness must be judged harshly. It’s not personal. We must break with old venal politics. We expect more from our only prime minister born in the computer age; if we ease up, we’re back to square one. We need decisions, innovation, progress, metrics to manage ministers’ work and public updates. Sir, why set Michael Lee-Chin a target when ministers have none?

REALITY CHECK

Some people live in the past. Poor kids who are doctors is no news. This began in the 50s and in the 60s we had the first Rhodes Scholar from a poor family. The poor get eight out of 10 Rhodes’ and 90 per cent of graduates are of poor stock — new normal.

A man was amazed that Brazilians know

One love — anthem of the century. What rock does he live under?

So what has Cabinet done in six months? This is a short time for ideation, plan, design, execution but they embraced old projects and floated new ones. International Monetary Fund (IMF) Hook 1 will soon end as they hydroplane to the end in 2017. It is a success and a model for fiscal recidivist nations. We now pass tests, metrics improve so IMF Hook 2 for growth must happen or Christine LaGarde has no proof of concept.

In 2012 the People’s National Party discontinued Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) policies, cut a deal with the IMF, and in 2016 the JLP chose — and for the first time we had continuity, not of populism, but harsh economic policies. The JLP broke the trend of new Cabinets-bitters, fever gone, patient stable. The JLP tax threshold is the wild card, but things happen to the best laid plans and we will see the impact in the next tax cycle. Fingers crossed, we should end IMF Hook 1 with joy — Mission accomplished! On to the prosperity agenda!

The big idea is key. Every micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) creates at least one job; may employ family, friends; and anchors social stability. Holness must choose; invest $2 billion in MSMEs or in national security. Small firms, including farms, give hope, cash flow, profit maybe, but the velocity of a thousand dollars in a poor man’s hand is better than a million in a rich man’s; keeps many occupied and out of mischief.

Funding MSMEs is at best pre-emption of social unrest at worst a good bet. Big projects grow jobs and big sugar, banana, bauxite galvanised capital and labour. The proposed New Town is good and may create 100,000 jobs but only after 2022 — big project, long gestation. The growth czar is for short term jobs — escalation of BPR, logistics hub, bauxite, alumina, hospitality; expand coffee, cocoa. The Caricom review is also good as we need to know why Cabinet spends much time on a one million market in far Trinidad, and none on the 30 million market in Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico nearby. Are we up to the “task of this generation” or politics? We debate coal, but nuclear is power over price. Wazzup? Ganja is missing. The duals are up front with ganja, but Feds at Border Control ask, “Are you into any drugs?” Tell lie or truth — dead visa!

FORMULAIC BUDGETS

Holness must put public services budgets on formulae. We need it for health care, education, security, food production by triennium — the same in a ministry. Standard cost is a problem. For instance, how much does good secondary schooling cost? Who knows? The Ministry of Education gives $19,000 per student — true cost?

What formulae for funding education — administration, technical services, schools? What ratios early childhood to primary to secondary to tertiary? Early years anchor society; secondary and tertiary is jam on bread and many of our people can’t think inductively, deductively, laterally or speak English even with degrees.

How much buys good patient experience? Are we at 50 per cent of standard cost and plan to be 60 per cent in 2020? Andrew must mandate these metrics and reports. Say our target is to replace 70 per cent of imported food by 2030, where are we now, 45 per cent? Peeps say they run down some public services in order to divest — true? We must not defund, denigrate or divest early childhood schools but integrate and provide them the best teachers as ages one to eight are the foundations.

As latecomers with flawed education, just starting STEM with a penchant for hedonism we will never innovate in a global staple, but in leisure services we can win with big investment. Our canvas is personal, skills services, and our inimitable selves. How quickly can ideas be planned, designed, funded, executed, and produce results? Our forte is entertainment and sport and we must tweak the system to excellence — faster, stronger, higher, longer, more melodic is us so let’s prepare our kids. We spend a lot on science labs — great, but an “enhancement of physical education and music” in schools linked with Venezuela Sistema was a billion-dollar project bruited in 2014 to deepen the things we like and excel in with PetroCaribe funding. Imagine if every child was physically fit, ready for any sport he chooses? If 50 per cent could play an instrument by 2022, and not just mouth organists? We would be in music and sport heaven; send coaches and mentors into the world and make money like peas.

We fight for disciplines our kids show no aptitude or inclination for, and ignore the ones they like. Get the old mindset out of our schools and run ‘wid’ what works and offers good new careers. Some “jus come” institutions have campuses all over the island. We need a mid-island G C Foster College, one in the West; and Holness has some new taxes to make it happen so by 2020 Olympics, so we can have new sports and more athletes. Prepare for life after Bolt. Stay conscious!

Franklin Johnston D Phil (Oxon) is a strategist and project manager. Send comments to the Observer or franklinjohnstontoo@gmail.com.